Western Pennsylvania restaurants team to benefit Westmoreland County Food Bank

Order to-go items from some Pittsburgh restaurants next week and you will help feed others at the same time.

Takeout Tuesday is June 2 and area eateries will be donating 15% to 25% of proceeds from sales that day to the Westmoreland County Food Bank.

The promotion is being organized by GroupRaise, a platform connecting local individuals and groups who want to host a fundraiser with nearby restaurants. It works with over 10,000 restaurant locations across the U.S. and has helped over 50,000 local organizations raise funds for their causes, according to a news release.

It’s a way to keep restaurants connected with the community and also address the growing problem of hunger during the pandemic, said GroupRaise co-founder Kevin Valdez.

For the list of participating restaurants, visit groupraise.com. The list includes Blaze Pizza in Ross, Sharky’s Cafe in Unity and Smokey Bones in Frazer. Eateries can register at takeoutforgood.com.

The GroupRaise National Takeout For Good aims to keep restaurants and their communities connected while raising funds for at-risk families directly impacted by covid-19.

“We’re asking everyone who can to ditch their kitchen for a day and order takeout to support local businesses and food-insecure families,” said Valdez.

Westmoreland County Food Bank CEO Jennifer Miller said that the GroupRaise initiative is a creative example of how to support hungry neighbors, feed your own family and help local restaurants.

“We all need to eat, and buying just one takeout meal through ‘Takeout for Good’ will help to feed many more,” Miller said.

The food bank is in its 38th year of operation. Since the pandemic, it has increased operations among its network of 66 member agencies. Since March, the food bank has distributed more than 1.3 million pounds of food, serving 15,000 households, the food bank said.

When setting up such a nationwide event, Valdez said they reference Feeding America to find food banks in the area and try to match restaurants in the geographical location.

“Choosing the closest food bank to the participating restaurant makes sure that the restaurant can give back to their immediate community,” Valdez said. “In the case where there is no nearby food bank, restaurants are donating to Feeding America.”

He said now more than ever, it’s incredibly important to support local restaurants and families in need.

“Restaurants and their workers have been some of the hardest hit during this pandemic, having to lay off much of their staff or even shut down completely,” he said. “And food banks have been feeling the crunch, too. Demand for emergency aid from food banks has quadrupled in some areas and they need all the help they can get to continue helping struggling families.”